Hoop Dreams and Reality

by Alhaji Kargbo, junior reporter

                                                                          

The new original movie on Netflix, Amateur, tells the story 

of an eighth-grade basketball prodigy, Terron, (Michael Rainey Jr) who quickly learns about the dark aspect of the sports industry. As he is confronted with the corruption and greed of amateur sports he realizes how players are taken advantage of, and how this exploitation can have negative effects on both the individual and family.

This movie takes the viewer on an unbelievable journey of a young man with an NBA dream. This sports drama tackles the benefits and drawbacks of NCAA amateur basketball and is a must see for all fanatics.

The movie starts with Terron stuck on a below average middle school team going nowhere. Due to his below average teammates and the lack of competition his dad (Brian J. White) decides to send footage of Terron playing to Coach Gaines (Josh Charles), who coaches at a prestigious basketball academy.

Rapture: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

by Aya Zubi, junior reporter

Rapture is a Netflix series about up and coming rappers.  Each show follows one artist/rapper and tells us how they got their first break. 

Each episode features a different musician and the obstacles this person went through and how they try to overcome these issues to achieve success as a rap star.

On March 30, 2018, they released A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie episode on his life. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s legal name is Artist Dubose. Artist was born on December 6,1995.  He was born and raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. 

The episode begins with Artist in his neighborhood playing basketball with the people in his community. In the episode, Artist talks about when he was a kid he had a passion for music. He used to put on performances in the school cafeteria. He mentions how he used to watch the movie Paid in Full when he was 12 and rapping like a character from the movie and everyone started calling him A Boogie because of a character in that film. Wit Da Hoodie came along because he was wearing hoodies all over town so it stuck with him.

Mr. Escobar's Farewell Interview

by Emerson Maldonado

Mr. Escobar has experienced much success in his career as an educator and administrator. His presence has caused many students as well as teachers to be inspired and his actions have not gone unnoticed. It’s no wonder recent news of his departure has caused much talk throughout the student body. Before his last goodbye, I got to sit down with him and ask a few questions.

As high school students we have faced many obstacles and Mr. Escobar was once in our shoes I wanted to know what was one of his greatest obstacles in high school and how he overcame it. His response was one that I myself struggle with which is the act of speaking in public. He overcame it throughout his years as an educator by speaking to students until it became one of his strengths and now it’s one his favorite things to do. 

The next question was about the biggest obstacle he faced as a teacher. He referred back to his early years when he was just starting out, he said learning how to teach his students was the biggest challenge he faced.